Why I want to move to Portugal / Porquê que eu quero ir para Portugal

Next year, we plan to move to Portugal. I wasn’t going to write on the blog about something that will not happen for a long time, but the other day I read a post that describe pretty much the lifestyle I’ve been yearning for a long time. That, and a discussion I had with my dad, encouraged me to write this post now, besides, why not?

While this is a joint decision, I will talk about my reasons. Paul has his, of course, but I won’t speak for him.

We have been planning this move for many years, in fact, since we met ten years ago, we’ve talked about going to Portugal; But first we had to learn how to save…

I want to live closer to nature, with nature, to use the sun as a source of energy, to plant and raise our food and live simply. You see, for all this years that we’ve been simplifying I have come to realize that I’m happier with less, not more.

Sure that is possible in the UK, many people do it. But for me, I would like to do all those things without feeling cold most of the time. I miss the warmth, I miss sitting outside, at night, listening to the sounds of the night and looking at the stars (those are some of my favorite memories). I want my children to eat tomatoes, melons and watermelons off the plant, the way I did as a child. To pick lemons , oranges, figs and peaches off the tree, the way I did as a child. I want them to be free of time and space to explore and play. Again, that would be possible in the UK, but land is expensive and it would mean a big mortgage and many hours at work, and that is not what we want.

But my reasons go further and deeper than lifestyle and climate… I want to share with my children and my spouse, the culture I grew up with. I want them to experience all those things that do not fit in a two or three week holiday, all those intangible but so important things about a culture that you only know when you stay in a place long enough.

People tell us that to go in holiday is not the same as living in the country… We know that! I also know that it’s very easy to romanticize when one is far away. But here’s the thing, we don’t want to regret, in a few years, not trying. We don’t want to choose the easiest option without trying for what we think it might be better for us as a family. And we specially want to experience it for ourselves. We want to be the ones to decide, by experience, not by what other people tell us.

I wish you the best of lucks in this new adventure. Portugal is a country full of possibilities special for the goals you aim to. We have the sun and the heat and the chance to grow crops all year around. So have faith, take the jump and be happy!

Listen to your heart, Susana! The life you describe sounds glorious and a truly beautiful way to raise your family. I can tell that you are already visualizing everything exactly the way you want it to be and so it shall be. The best of luck to you on this journey.